The Blogs Page

Our original car line up when we started this site was CooperBeast (BP500-2) and CheckBeast (BP500-3) which are BMW minis and PugBeast (BP500-1) which is a Peugeot 206cc. CooperBeast is an October 2002 build Mini Cooper in Chili red with a white roof, which we got from new at the start of November 2002. CheckBeast is an October 2005 build Mini Cooper S special edition called Checkmate, which we got from new at the start of November 2005. It is metallic space blue with a silver roof and bonnet stripes and chequered graphics on each front side panel. CheckBeast is also a fully fledged Works edition complete with the full engine upgrade, Works brakes and Works strutbrace. For good measure it also comes with silver sideskirts to match the roof! PugBeast is an October 2001 Peugeot 206cc se 2.0 litre in cayman green with matching green and black cloth interior.

With time a few changes have been made to the original line up. PugBeast left the fold in the summer of 2007 after 5 years of sterling service, fun and adventure. His life with us has been captured for posterity on the pages of this website. His departure (sad though it was) was to make way for his replacement the Opel GT which after a long delay finally arrived at the end of June 2008. The Phantom is his name, so called as having to wait so long for him to arrive often he never seemed quite real - but he is real now! He will be honoured to wear the original number of PugBeast (BP500-1). The Phantom has his own page full of details about him but briefly all the information needed is 0-62mph in 5.7 seconds!

The next change came in August 2008 when we saw the sad departure of CheckBeast our much loved Works Cooper S. This was to make way for ClubBeast (also affectionately known as PepperBeast) our new MINI Clubman S in pepper white with a black roof. A very grown up car, which we have really taken to but which Clarkson regards as the only thing you could give as a gift that is worse than a toilet! The modding process has already begun on ClubBeast so check him out on his own page. ClubBeast replaces the third car in our line up so adorns the number BP500-3.

Late 2012 saw CooperBeast go for an extended sabbatical with The Elf, making way for SilverBeast a MINI Coupé JCW who wears the number BP500 - 4.

Then in June 2014 we had to wave goodbye to our dearly beloved ClubBeast, who after over 5 and a half years of sterling service was beginning to get a bit tired. We loved him so much but his replacement has softened the blow of losing him. His replacement is PaceBeast, a brand new Paceman Cooper SD, which we brought in to do the lion's share of the donkey work, work runs and some of our long distance European tours. He has proved to be a real champion addition to the Beastie fold.

The MINI is not just a fun car but a whole social life too, thanks to the mini community, which for us is centred around MINI2.com, Total Mini.com, newminikernow.co.uk , Clubman Register and newminiseverns.com where we have met hundreds of mini enthusiasts and participated in lots of MINI days and MINI runs. For Pug enthusiasts www.peugeot206cc.co.uk has all the information you could want and for The Opel GT the best site for information is the American forum for his brother the Saturn Sky - www.skyroadster.com.